Friday, September 24, 2010

IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE

It's The Great Blogging Experiment today
Yeah!
Yikes!
STRESS!
I usually blog what I want to write about…
But being given a topic feels like a test.
Am I afraid of failing?
Of sounding stupid?
Yes!
After many drafts…
(too bad they weren't the beer type)
I realized I had to be true to my style of writing…
My own way of thinking…
So here goes…
Writing compelling characters is like
Sausage.
At least to me. 
Ya see...
A good steak is succulent and delicious
But it’s still just a hunk of beef.
Sausage, on the other hand is complex.
Sausage makes me think
Hmm? What's really inside?
Only quality parts of the cow and pig?
Or lips and snouts and piggy wiggy tails?
And maybe even some mouse turds and floor sweepings!.
(thanks Upton Sinclair)
And yet…
When I smell it smoking on the grill…
Or sizzling in the pan…
The aroma makes me want to eat that sausage
Even with all it’s flawed ingredients…
And the greasy texture…
And the strange colors that don’t always look natural…
And always
There's a mysterious bit of “something” inside. 
And that’s what a compelling character should be…
Complex
Make me think…
Make me feel…
Make me want to know what's cooking inside
Even if it makes go, eeeuuww!

Always, Em-Musing
P.S. A big thanks to Elana Johnson and her crew. This was fun 

8 comments:

Tamika: said...

I love sausage! And I love compelling characters. They are both full of surprises- some good and some bad.

But it keeps me coming back for more:)

Melissa said...

This made me giggle. I love it... and am fighting my sudden craving for sausages.

Anonymous said...

This is awesome! The best description of a compelling character so far! :D

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Fun take on the topic. :-)

Elena Solodow said...

Wow, this was unbelievably great.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

Aww! LOVELY blog. LOVELY header with your muse on your shoulder. I love this post of yours!! I'm so glad I met you and you participated in this fest!

Come and visit me!

Nicole Zoltack said...

I so want to eat sausage now... Great post.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Fun post! But now I don't think I want to watch characters being made. ;)